It's Still Debatable!: Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K-5

It’s Still Debatable! encourages scientific literacy by showing you how to teach the content and thinking skills K–5 students need to explore real-world questions like these: • Is football too dangerous for kids? • Do we need zoos? • Should distracted walking be illegal? At the core of the exploration is the Socioscientific Issues Framework. It uses debatable, science-related societal questions, or socioscientific issues, to address science content, help children learn to apply the content, and encourage them to become informed citizens. The book supports the Next Generation Science Standards; links to the Common Core State Standards, National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies, and C3 Framework; and is developmentally appropriate for diverse elementary classrooms. It also includes a chapter especially for use in methods courses and professional development programs. The framework gives students practice in the research, analysis, and argumentation necessary to grapple with difficult questions with roots in life, physical, Earth, and environmental science. After introducing the framework and explaining how it supports the standards, the book shows you how to implement the concept through 14 lessons. Because the book is specifically for elementary grades, the author made it a teach-ready resource that integrates science into your packed school days. You get clear and accessible background information, practical guidance on how to use the lessons, and developmentally appropriate assessments and handouts. You even find out how to develop your own socioscientific issues curriculum.

Dr. Sami Kahn is a 30-plus-year veteran science educator with extensive experience in classroom teaching, professional development, and curriculum development. She is proud to share that she has taught science to students in almost every grade, from kindergarten through college. Dr. Kahn currently serves as Executive Director of the Council on Science and Technology at Princeton University where she works to promote scientific literacy for all through STEM education research, course development, and outreach. An awardwinning teacher and scholar, she uses her background in science education and law to inform her research and teaching on inclusive science practices, socioscientific issues (SSI), argumentation, and social justice. Dr. Kahn has authored numerous journal articles, including several in Science and Children, and has coauthored three books on enhancing scientific inquiry experiences for children and adults, including the NSTA Press book It’ s Debatable! Using Socioscientific Issues to Develop Scientific Literacy, K– 12 (2014). Her service to the field includes leadership positions with the National Science Teaching Association and the Association for Science Teacher Education. Dr. Kahn holds an MS in ecology and evolutionary biology from Rutgers University, a JD in law from Rutgers School of Law, and a PhD in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in science education from the University of South Florida, where she served as a presidential doctoral fellow. Before coming to Princeton, Dr. Kahn held positions at Ohio University, Collegiate School in New York City, and Rutgers University.